Sunday, December 20, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Some Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

My family and I had been invited to a private showing of Star Wars on December 27th. A friend's father who owns a local business rented our town theatre for a showing. We decided to catch it early. Actually, I became far too excited to wait, and feeling like a ten-year-old kid again, talked my wife into seeing it before the 27th.

The movie does a great job of bridging the old and the new. We get to see our old heroes and meet some new ones. I left the theatre feeling like the series is in capable hands, both in terms of new characters and the direction the story is taking. The pacing felt just right, giving us plenty of thrills as well as a little time to breathe between action sequences without the pace bogging down. There is some humor in just the right doses, and zero jokes involving farting aliens.

Most importantly, Abrams' story world felt like Star Wars. The sets, the props, all of it.  Jakku felt especially gritty and real. It was also nice to see the actors in outdoor locations, rather than have everything green screened to death. Overall, I would put The Force Awakens in the top three of the series (Behind Empire and A New Hope). I'm looking forward to seeing it again. Just wish we didn't have to wait until 2017 until the next installment.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Portable Writing

I've taken to carrying a plastic, folding file purchased at CVS with me to work. I keep a different spot in the folder for each writing project. In the file are notebooks, story notes, pens, and a map of the United States with territories marked off. The map is for my upcoming zombie epic, Kingdom of the Dead.

Right now I'm finishing up The Gray Men trilogy. Work in earnest will begin on Kingdom of the Dead after the holidays.

Typing in pages from a Steno notebook for Gray Men #3. After this, I'll probably hit the basement and workout for a bit. Maybe play some guitar before the rest of the family starts to stir.


Monday, December 07, 2015

Horror Novella Full of Monsters, Guns & Gore - The Island Now Available

My latest novella, The Island, is available for Kindle.

It's the horror fan's ultimate dream. A tour of an island where legendary monsters are real. Escorted by armed guards, lifelong friends Rick and Nate travel to the island as a birthday surprise for Rick. They soon find out that the island's inhabitants are hungry, and the tour turns into a fight for survival. 

A an action-packed horror novella loaded with monsters and gore from the author of The Dead Land Trilogy.




Sunday, December 06, 2015

Monster Novella Cover

Here's a peek at the cover for my upcoming novella, The Island. It's got guns, action, monsters, and gore. I uploaded the file for Kindle this morning. Should be available within the next day.



Wednesday, December 02, 2015

Novella Finished

Finally finished up a horror novella I was working on. It's edited and ready to upload. I have to design a cover and come up with a proper title. I was thinking "Island," but that's kind of fucking boring. Have to think about that one.

The novella is a fast-paced little tale with plenty of familiar monsters, action, and gore. Should have it up for sale in the next few days.

Guitar-wise, still working on "Over the Hills and Far Away." Also working on the riff for The White Stripes' "Icky Thump." Fun stuff.

Wife is watching "A Prince for Christmas." It's a cheeseball Hallmark movie that was shot in my town (East Aurora, NY). Lame movie, but kind of cool to see the locales on film.

Saw A Quiet Place II This Weekend

Jenn and I went for lunch yesterday, then saw A Quiet Place II at the Aurora Theater. The Aurora is a great little theater. One screen, and...